Final Fantasy Type-0 Team Working On Final Fantasy XV

In last week’s issue of Famitsu magazine, Final Fantasy Agito producer Hajime Tabata talked about the upcoming mobile game and how the project started. Famitsu follows up with the rest of the interview, where the producer also shared a few words on the other big project he’s a part of—Final Fantasy XV, which he is co-directing.

The upcoming smartphone game aside, Famitsu asks Tabata if he has any plans for any home console releases, such as an expansion to Final Fantasy Type-0 or a sequel to The 3rd Birthday.

“Firstly, there’s Final Fantasy XV.” answers Tabata. “I’ve recently joined as the co-director, and I’m currently giving it my all, along with the Final Fantasy Type-0 team, and development is going smoothly. We’re currently plunging into an important phase, where the engine developers and game developers are preparing to work together”

After having worked on various titles such as Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts coded, and Final Fantasy Type-0, this will be Tabata’s first jump into working on a non-portable title, and it will also be a large-scaled project on a next-generation console.

“I never felt the extreme desire of ‘I want to make it!’ on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.” shares Tabata. “However, after seeing the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One take their level of expression to a whole other level, I’ve become motivated. After seeing it on the big screen, the more I think about seriously challenging that world with quality product, the more it feels possible.”

He continues, “It is something similar to what you get from a culture shock after traveling overseas. As an artist, I believe that there’s an amusing feeling that comes from being able to captivate something that wasn’t possible up until now.”

This may help explain why Square Enix’s output on portable devices has been noticeably reduced in recent times. While the team that developed Final Fantasy Type-0 is helping the original Kingdom Hearts team develop Final Fantasy XV, the team that developed Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts 3D is now in charge of Kingdom Hearts III.

I already have 8 years worth of hype for FFXV, but I really want Type-0 to come out before then so I can appreciate the progress that the Type-0 team as made.

Bobby Jennings

Nice SE. I see what you did there with this.

echokanon

then who will be working on the rumored mobile version?

Mimi

huh? mobile version of which?

Kelohmello

Agito.

Arcana Wiz

Well isn’t rumored, it’s a confirmed version…. probably one of the smaller teams.

Martian Wong

I really hope that with the expansion of the staffs, it will mean that the game will come out sooner.

Steven Higgins

Yes! Then they can go full-throttle on KHIII.
FFXV just looks so amazing and I love KH. Can’t wait to see what they’ll say about KHIII at TGS.
Though I’m not expecting more that “Shaddap! We’re workin’ on it!”

tubers

Damn.. So no word on PE/T3B?

Oh well.

almostautumn

What do you mean? A tps team works in perimeters significantly different from action/RPG, no?

Tyler Beale

So….what happened to the KH team working on it? Did they get moved to their proper title, IE KH3?

Jonathan Tse

fairly certain they’re still working with everyone on XV. iirc a lot of the KH team is also on the XV team.

Yause

KH3 is being developed in Osaka (Musashi, Birth By Sleep, Dream Drop Distance) because the original team is still on XV.

Ferchenko

Hype is not fair to us gamers. I have confidence FFXV will be awesome, yet I need some Type-0 love localized.

Arcana Wiz

but the team that are in FFXV dont localize games , they make them… i’m sure that the people who localize it are another team, of you know translators.

Luis Camargo

“We’re currently plunging into an important phase, where the engine developers and game developers are preparing to work together”
After so many years, I would not be surprised if they were already living together in the same roof.

Arcana Wiz

rofl .

NoctX85

lol

eilegz

HYPE hopefully with help this game get released ASAP… it took so long already

Arcana Wiz

well they announced by ps2 time line, began to develop in the ps3 time line and the they began to make the ps4 game, so yes they lost/remade many things, and Versus XIII(the old version) never had many people working on it, now that it got renamed more teams and resources were put on it. I can see a end 2014 for japan early 2015 here, at the best case.

Heropon

Well , I don’t care about FFXV anymore . I just want to know about what Hiroyuki Ito working on

https://twitter.com/GaleGlory89 KiQun

It’s been forever. Why didn’t he get recognized for all the brilliant works? FFVI – FFIX – FFXII are all masterpiece.

Yause

IIRC, Wada promoted him to the rank of Producer/Director after FFXII, so there was definitely recognition. However, any big project that he was working on was likely cancelled at some point (the protracted development of FFXIII, XIV, and XV would surely contribute to that. No staff available = no ramp up).

Nevertheless, I’d add that Ito was never a creator in the traditional sense. He specialized as a battle designer, and at Square, the main role of a director was to compile the team’s creations into a cohesive whole. Consequently, he was never the vision behind FFVI (only responsible for battle), IX (overall supervisor/compiler building on Sakaguchi’s concept + card game), or XII (in charge of battle/license board, with the added responsibility of team supervision/compilation after Matsuno left).

At any rate, Shinji Hashimoto recently mentioned that Ito submits proposals from time to time……

Heropon

Since the beginning , most FF is a production of teamwork. Hiroyuki ito is mostly in charge of gameplay design . From my perspective Hiroyuki ito is the man who don’t care about fame , he make game with passion and challenge him self to a new level . Most of the time when there are an interview , Ito rarely appeared but he still one of the most important and influence in Final Fantasy franchise along with Sakaguchi , Amano and Nobuo.

Moreover , we don’t see Ito talk much about FFVI but when you play , you can clearly see the world of ruin is reflect his vision about open world so i don’t think he just in charge of battle in FF6 ,maybe whole structure, gameplay and program so that why he is mentioned as director not only battle system designer like FF IV

But i still don’t understand why Sakaguchi chose Yoshinori Kitase as his successor instead of Ito

Yause

The director billing was the result of all the politics and infighting at Square. Something similar happened on Chrono Trigger (for which Kitase and Tokita designed events, namely the non-linear second half).

On FFVI, it was still Sakaguchi bringing the game together. The more accurate billings might be Event Director (for Kitase) or Battle Director (for Ito). On FFX, we saw remnants of the same rationale with the three section leads credited as Directors.

1Truth

Going off the FFXII credits, a game which also had two directors, I’d say it’s more accurate to call Ito “Game Design Director” of FFVI, not simply “Battle Director”.

Yause

Traditionally, Square only worked with Battle and Event directors. Kitase has explained this before, and they’re the billings used in most of their games. Even world design was part of event work (the “dramatic” part of FF) before they created a separate section for that.

In terms of structure, it makes complete sense because Final Fantasy battles were always a separate component. For a large part of production, the battle component could develop independently from what the world/story people were working on.

1Truth

If that’s the case, then while the Event Director worked on the event scenes and scenario text, the Battle Director most likely worked on the battle system, growth system, and overall game balance and pacing.

Therefore, it’s not a stretch to assume Ito was also the game designer of FFVI, and not just the Battle Director. I’d even say he was also the game designer of FFV.

Heropon

In chrono trigger most of the credit go to Masato Kato and Tokita for most part , Kisate play a lesser role in this game even he is director and also the event planner is Ito .BTW chrono is non linear from the moment you enter “End of time”. if you said the non-linear is the vison of different people or Kitase so why none of those are reuse in FF , even Sakaguchi don’t care about using it after he leave SE or non of the other JRPG use it and the only person that apply that in his game is Ito ( FF12)

1Truth

From what I’ve read, Hiroyuki Ito was also the game designer of FFVI, not just the battle system designer. It was very similar to his role on FFT. For FFVI, he was responsible for the overall structure and pacing of the game in both the World of Balance and World of Ruin. That’s the job of a game designer.

As for Sakaguchi choosing Kitase over him, that’s not necessarily true. Sakaguchi wanted BOTH Kitase and Ito in charge of FF. That’s why he made them both direct FFVI and then chose Kitase to direct FFVII/FFVIII and Ito to direct FFIX/FFXII.

1Truth

I’m sure Hiroyuki Ito was making FFXV (not VersusXIII renamed) for PS3/360, but it was put on hold when FFXIV bombed back in 2010. Seeing as Yoichi Wada decided to remake FFXIV from scratch, Ito most likely lost most of his FFXII key staff, as they were transfered over to FFXIV ARR.

That’s why there’s so many FFXII key staff working on FFXIV ARR, like Hiroshi Minagawa, Takeo Suzuki, and Kazutoyo Maehiro. They were all likely moved over from Hiroyuki Ito’s project. As of now, Ito is likely back in pre-production for FFXVI for PS4/One. Once FFXIV ARR gets enough updates, his FFXII key staff will be given back.

1Truth

My guess is that he’s leading development of FFXVI as Producer/Director. I’m sure the game is already in pre-production, as FFXV was announced way back in 2006. They must have started on FFXVI in the 7 years since then.

1Truth

I feel the same way. FFXV just don’t feel new to me anymore, as I’ve been waiting for this game since 2006 when it was a FFXIII spin-off. As of now, I’m far more interested in seeing the next proper mainline FF, which is FFXVI.

Hopefully, Hiroyuki Ito is directing and he gets Yasumi Matsuno to freelance write the script.

Heropon

Don’t get your hope too high 1truth. FXV is nowhere near finish so FXVI won’t coming until next gen so it is better if his project change to an stand alone title .

Matsuno as a freelancer script is great but i would like to have Masato Kato return this time along with Yusuke Naora as new character design and Noriyasu Agematsu as composer ( Both there work on chaos ring series is awesome and beautiful and suit the style of a chrono writer like Masato )

Rogerrmark

Not really a fan of both KH:Coded and CC:FF7.

I wish they would let Asano(producer of FFIIIDS,FFIVDS,4 Heroes of Light and Bravely Default) produce one mainseries game…

Although I liked all games till now,including both FFXIIIs,and really looking forward to LRFFXIII as well.

Protosin

Sounds good to me. I love Tabata’s work. Hopefully a western Type-0 release is coming soon…

Tom

A new game in Parasite Eve would be nice but I don’t think they should continue the confusing stuff they made in 3rd Birthday. The gameplay was really cool, but the story was…

Silent

Maybe FF FV will not be localize in the West then?

Steven Higgins

I’m sure it will. it is a main series FF after all. And on a next gen (Well current gen by the time it releases) console.

Silent

You do not understand irony, do you? :p I was talking about the fact that FF Type-0 has never been localize in the West… Of course FF XV will be localize (they’d better have to!!!!)

Steven Higgins

That wasn’t irony. That was sarcasm, which isn’t always easy to discern on the internet.

Silent

Actually, in French we consider that irony and sarcasm are synonyms. Maybe you don’t.

Steven Higgins

Ah. I’m American. Here “irony” is when something happens despite all evidence to the contrary. Although the literal definition is “Word expressing something other that their literal intention” But America is not really a sticker for actual definitions, so the first one is the more common usage.

enorka miho

Well, atleast the new CEO is doing something right… Now the trio (Nomura, Nojima and Tabata) shall unite and bring forth the power of FINAL FANTASY!!!

Btw, I love FFVII:Crisis Core to the CORE!! Oh yea!! Zack is the true hero!

sakusakusakura_nyo

So basically the English version just got cancelled.

Göran Isacson

I wonder if now that FFXIV is… not “finished” since MMO’s always needs a maintenance crew, but at least DONE, there will be an influx of workers to all these other titles like XV and KH3 and maybe, who knows, some actual other, smaller titles that were pulled because they needed to pull around and save the Titanic… and according to most people, actually PULLED IT OFF. I at least hope for the best, regarding these coming titles…

Daniel Sheridan

Staff that did kingdom hearts, advent children and now Type Zero (and Crisis Core)? All the best are working on this game. Good to hear.

Video game stories from other sites on the web. These links leave Siliconera.